In general, a toe guard (also called foot guard) is a safety device which is comprised in an elevator car and forms a wall extending downwards from the elevator car. When an elevator car stops between floors, there remains between the car and the landing floor a gap exposing the shaft. The toe guard is intended to cover this gap and thus to prevent a person escaping from the car onto the landing floor from falling into the shaft and/or to prevent any body part of the passenger from getting between the car and the landing floor. A toe guard suited for a small shaft bottom space is in itself very advantageous as it permits of a very low shaft bottom space. Shaft bottom space refers to the space remaining below an elevator car at the lowest stopping level.
For small shaft bottom spaces, specification EP 1 215 159 A2 discloses a toe guard for an elevator car, said toe guard comprising a movable panel provided with a locking device, and guide tracks mounted below the car in a substantially horizontal orientation. The panel, being guided and supported by the guide tracks, can be moved between a stowaway position and an operative position. In the stowaway position, the panel rests on the guide tracks in a substantially horizontal orientation, stowed away below the elevator car, where it can be locked in place by means of the locking device. In the operative position, the toe guard, supported by the guide tracks, is drawn out onto the landing floor and tilted to cover the gap between the car sill and the landing floor. In the operative position, the toe guard can be locked to the landing door jambs by means of the locking device, ensuring that the toe guard will not bend e.g. in consequence of a kick or other external exertion of force. The EP specification in question discloses a one-piece plate-like panel.
A problem with the above-mentioned prior-art bendable toe guard formed from a single panel part is that the panel in its operative position always has the same length and it can only be used to cover a gap of a certain size exposing the shaft between an elevator car and a landing floor, in a situation where the elevator car has stopped at a level between floors.
Further, telescoping toe guards consisting of two or more parts for small shaft bottom spaces are disclosed e.g. in specifications WO2005/121015 and FR2841886, but a typical feature of these toe guards is that they work on the shaft side and do not extend onto the landing floor and are not designed to be locked to the landing door jambs.